§ Mr. George Mudie (Leeds, East)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. Last week, my constituent Edna Harrison collapsed in the snow a few hundred yards from St. James's hospital, the largest teaching hospital in western Europe. She could not be found an intensive care bed. Four hours later, having suffered further brain damage, she was found a bed in Hull hospital, 60 miles away, where, sadly, she died. Last year, following a similar occurrence, the Secretary of State for Health made a statement to the House promising fresh resources and new procedures to deal with the acute shortage of intensive care beds. As that does not appear to be working, has the Secretary of State sought to make a statement on the crisis affecting intensive care beds? If he has not sought to do so voluntarily, how can we induce him to come to the House and explain the current alarming state of affairs?
§ Madam SpeakerThe Secretary of State certainly has not informed me that he is seeking to make a statement on the issue. The hon. Gentleman might care to look at the Order Paper, so that the next time the Department replies to questions he might get some answers to the questions that he is attempting to raise today.
§ Mr. D. N. Campbell-Savours (Workington)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You may have been informed that the stock exchange surveillance department and the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising are investigating movements in the shares of the Go Ahead Group, which rose 40 per cent. in seven weeks during the company's franchise bid for north-east Regional Railways. One would have thought that Ministers would have volunteered a statement to the House as the matter raises immense issues of public concern-notably revenues from privatisation and speculative share dealings. Could you carry out inquiries and find out whether Ministers intend to make a statement to Parliament as I and many of my hon. Friends believe that there should be a full statement so that we can question Ministers on the issue?
§ Madam SpeakerMinisters always inform me, at the latest by midday, when they are seeking to make a statement at 3.30 pm. However, there are opportunities later in the day for statements to be made.
§ Mr. Tony Marlow (Northampton, North)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. You may be aware that a suggestion has been made—not from Conservative Benches—that there should be a windfall tax on private utilities. I understand that it has been suggested in the national press over the weekend that if legislation were passed through the House to introduce such a windfall tax, that tax could be deemed illegal by European institutions. It would be helpful to the House, Madam Speaker, if you could look into the matter. Is it right and 23 proper and appropriate that the House should pass a tax that could then be ruled out of order by courts and institutions outside this country?
§ Madam SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman knows full well that he is not raising a point of order but describing a hypothetical situation and I shall have nothing whatever to do with it.
§ Mr. Chris Mullin (Sunderland, South)Further to the point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie). In Sunderland over the new year, a 20-month-old baby who desperately needed an intensive care bed had to be taken 120 miles to Edinburgh for the nearest available paediatric intensive care bed, there being none available in the northern region. When I checked again last week, that remained the position. Do you have any influence with the Secretary of State for Health as the House ought to hear from him on an issue that concerns many hon. Members of all political persuasions?
§ Madam SpeakerI am not certain what my influence is with any Minister, but if I were a Back Bencher in those circumstances I would be knocking on the Minister's door without delay.
§ Mr. David Hinchliffe (Wakefield)Further to that point of order, Madam Speaker. Will you confirm that the only line of accountability in the national health service is that of the Secretary of State to the House, bearing it in mind that we have the most serious crisis in the national health service for many years? My hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie) mentioned a case in Leeds and my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) referred to another case in the north-east. Pinderfields hospital in my constituency is facing its worst crisis for many years. Bearing in mind the fact that the chief executives of those hospital trusts and the Minister for Health have been commenting publicly, what help can you give us, Madam Speaker, to ensure that the Secretary of State accepts his accountability to the House and comes here today to deal with our constituents' serious concerns?
§ Madam SpeakerAs the hon. Gentleman and the House certainly know, I have no authority to demand that the Secretary of State or any other Minister with responsibility for a portfolio comes to the Dispatch Box to make a statement. Leading Ministers are on the Treasury Bench, and they have heard those points of order. It will be some time before questions to Ministers at the Department of Health can be tabled, but no doubt the hon. Gentleman will table some questions at that time.
§ Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover)Further to those points of order, Madam Speaker. I find it very strange that the Secretary of State for Health cannot be in the Chamber to reply to the points of order that have been raised with you, Madam Speaker. There is no more pairing—all that is finished—and he has no excuse not to be here. He should be here, because the public are demanding a statement. I rather suspect that he is not here because he would be embarrassed, as Glenfield general hospital, the 24 heart hospital in his constituency, made the decision over the weekend not to accept any more patients who are suffering from heart problems. It is a scandal that the Secretary of State cannot present himself to answer questions which our constituents demand that he answer.
§ Madam SpeakerThat is not a point of order but a matter of opinion.I hope that the remaining matters are points of order that I can deal with.
§ Mr. Nigel Spearing (Newham, South)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. On the matter of the conduct of Ministers at the Department of Health, may I seek your advice, Madam Speaker, on a sequence of unhappy events? In the middle of November, forums of general practitioners in three boroughs in east London and the local medical committee sent a letter to the Secretary of State, which was not replied to in an Adjournment debate on 18 December 1996, the last sitting of the House before Christmas. During that debate, the Minister assured me that he would provide some explanation for the lack of a reply to the letter and reply in full. So far I have received no reply to the letter, although I believe that another hon. Member may have done so.
May I seek your advice, Madam Speaker? I intend to refer the matter to the Public Service Select Committee, which I believe has a remit in the matter. Is there anything else that you would advise me to do in these serious and difficult circumstances?
§ Madam SpeakerIf the hon. Gentleman will let me have the correspondence, I will see what I can do with it. He is perfectly correct in referring the matter to that Select Committee, but I should also like to have the correspondence.
§ Mr. John Gunnell (Morley and Leeds, South)Further to the point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie). The Secretary of State for Health appeared in the House twice last year—the second occasion was in March last year—to make statements on intensive care beds, but neither of the promises that he made in those statements has been realised. Because of the current crisis, which has been highlighted by the British Medical Association, do you not think that it is appropriate, Madam Speaker, that the Secretary of State should come to the House to explain what is happening in intensive care and with the many hundreds of operations that are being postponed because beds are required for emergencies?
§ Madam SpeakerAs I said earlier, those on the Treasury Bench will have heard the concerns expressed by Opposition Members, and no doubt they will report those concerns in the appropriate quarter.
§ Mr. Hugh Bayley (York)Further to the point of order raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours). I seek your advice, Madam Speaker, on a very specific point. Last week, it was revealed that the Go Ahead Group—one of the bidders for Regional Railways' north-east franchise—was privy to inside information from British Rail, in breach of the franchising rules, which gave it an advantage in the bidding process. As my hon. Friend mentioned, the surge in its share price may well be related to the possession of 25 that inside information and the commercial advantage that it gave the company. As the Government intend to announce their preferred bidder for the franchise very soon—possibly later this week—it is essential, before any such announcement, that the Minister makes a statement to the House and that the Government assure us that the franchise will not be granted until the investigation is completed by the stock exchange.
§ Madam SpeakerThat is not really a point of order for me, but I have heard what the hon. Gentleman has said.
§ Mr. David Winnick (Walsall, North)On a point of order, Madam Speaker. In view of what has been said today, may I bring to your attention the report on the front page of the Evening Standard about the death of an elderly woman at Guy's hospital arising from the fact that her heart operation was postponed three times? Considering all that has gone on since the House went into recess, is it not essential that the Secretary of State for Health comes to the House at some stage today to explain what is happening? Are not Ministers accountable to the House?
You advised one of my hon. Friends, Madam Speaker, to table a question—presumably an oral question—for the next time when the Secretary of State for Health and his colleagues are due to answer. That could be some time away. Given the urgency of the issue and the fact that people are dying because of failures in the health service and the failure of the Government to protect the NHS, the Secretary of State should make a statement today, or at least on Tuesday. Is there any way in which we can persuade the Secretary of State to come to the House and make such a statement?
§ Mr. David Shaw (Dover)On a point of order, Madam Speaker.
§ Madam SpeakerDoes it refer to the same matter?
§ Madam SpeakerAs I explained earlier, I have no authority or influence over the Secretary of State, but what has been said today will no doubt be related to him without delay and perhaps there may be a statement forthcoming later today or tomorrow on these issues, which are of obvious concern to a number of hon. Members.
§ Mr. ShawOn a point of order, Madam Speaker. You will be aware that, shortly before Christmas, there was a small problem that, on the face of it, had nothing to do with the House: a unit outside the Palace of Westminster—known as the audience participation unit—endeavoured to fiddle a BBC poll. In view of the way in which points of order have been raised today, is there not substantial evidence that the audience participation unit is active within the precincts of the Palace of Westminster?
§ Madam SpeakerThat is a very good try. I can see that we are in for a very happy and joyous new year.